The summit in context

Even though improving mental health and wellbeing is included in the Sustainable Development Goals, mental health is yet to be sufficiently taken into account by healthcare systems. Only around 2% of the global healthcare budget is being allocated to mental health with no significant rise, even though the global impact of mental disabilities and mental disorders is increasing. The COVID-19 pandemic has made the matter worse in terms of managing mental health and has reinforced the need for global action to tackle these challenges.

The goals of the summit

This summit is the third of its kind, following London in 2018 and Amsterdam in 2019. Mental health and wellbeing are a priority for the French government. At national level, France has made commitments as part of the roadmap for improving mental and psychiatric health (la feuille de route santé mentale et psychiatrie) and the “Ségur de la santé” agreements. With that in mind and to also put mental health at the centre of global health commitments, France will host the Mind Our Rights, Now ! global summit on 5 and 6 October 2021. The summit is intended to foster discussions between professionals, civil society and policy makers so as to speed up the evolution of psychiatric and mental health practices by relying in particular on French and international innovative experiences.